Conveyor for packaging machine



Nov; 5, 1957 R. O. WOELFER CONVEYOR FOR PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1953 m i. @www o o@ OU@ United States Patent O CONVEYOR FOR PACKAGING MACHINE `Robert 0. Woelfer, Rahway, N. J.

Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 390,832

6 Claims. (Cl. 198-160) This invention relates to packaging machines and is more particularly concerned with a packaging machine of the type wherein a folding box of the so-called tube construction is fed to the machine as a flat, folded blank, is automatically erected, and is transported in upright, open position along a predetermined path while being filled manually or automatically.

In packaging machines of the character indicated, means are well known for erecting the container tube, for folding in and gluing or tucking its bottom flaps to form the container bottom, and for urging the set-up container along the filling path wherein it may be filled by hand or by any convenient automatic means. A major difficulty which has been encountered in machines of this nature, however, is the tendency of the set-up containers to collapse while being carried along, making lling difcult, if not impossible at times, and generallyinterfering with the smooth operation of the machine. While the path along which the containers are urged during the lling operation can be formed as a channel having a width corresponding to the nominal width of the container being handled, it is known in practice that containers manufactured commercially vary from the nominal size and may be somewhat oversize or somewhat undersize. These variations make it necessary to set the width of the channel to correspond to the largest oversize container likely to be encountered, with the result that the containers of nominal size and of undersize are too loosely `held in the channel and undesired collapsing of the containers occurs.

Various means have been proposed to remedy this difficulty but these various prior proposals have not been entirely satisfactory and are generally complex arrangements which frequently involve synchronized gear and chain arrangements which add greatly to the cost of the machine and are subject to misalignment in service, with resultant shutdowns for repairs. Other proposed arrangements hold the containers erect intermittently but do not provide a continuous holding action, with the result that the danger of collapse is not entirely avoided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in a packaging machine of the type described means for effectively holding newly-opened containers in set-up position while the containers are being moved continuously along a predetermined path.

` It is another object of the invention to provide container-holding means of the character indicated which effectively grip the containers at all times and fully resist any tendency of the containers to collapse.

It is a further object of the invention to provide in a lpackaging machine a container-guiding channel having container holding means which prevent collapse of newlyvopened containers of the folded tube type as they are apart walls for successively receiving a plurality of con- -etainerspto be lled andpus'her elements for forwarding the containers along the channel, a resilient, frictionimparting covering for one of the channel walls providing a surface on the channel wall which is adapted to engage continuously one side of the containers being moved along the channel. The friction imparting covering cornprises a resilient rubber web having a plurality of flexible, resilient lingers extending therefrom and a sheet of porous rubber of the nature of sponge rubber and foam rubber backing up the rubbery web. In use, the covering is secured to the wall on one side of the channel with the resilient ngers projecting into the channel for exible engagement with the wall of each container as it passes along the channel, impelled by the pusher elements which extend across the channel.

It is a feature of the invention that the continuous frictional action of the channel wall covering cooperates with the pusher elements to hold the containers in continuously erect position at all times during their passage along the channel.

It is a further feature of the invention that the resilient fingers of the covering effectively grip the container walls notwithstanding variations from the nominal width of the containers.

Other Iobjects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof and from the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a packaging machine having a container-receiving and moving channel embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the machine shown in Fig. l, taken approximately along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the resilient, frictionimparting covering which overlies the outer wall of the channel of the machine shown in Figs. l and 2; and

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view, partly in section, of the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. l, the reference numeral 10 designates generally the packaging machine illustrated. The machine 10 is provided with a container-receiving channel 12 along which the containers to be filled are moved from one end of the machine to the other. rl`he channel 12 has a bottom 13 of sulicient extent to support the containers after their bottom flaps have been closed and is suitably formed from an integral sheet or from strips or other means for supporting the containers from below. The channel 12 is defined by an outer wall 14 and an inner wall substantially parallel to it. The wall 14 is suitably in the form of a continuous strip, as shown, and the inner wall is advantageously formed from a set of spaced-apart angle irons 15 having the outer sides of their vertical legs facing the channel 12. At the feed end of channel 12 there is positioned a supply trough 16 which has its lower surface inclined inwardly and is adapted to hold a stack of folded containers 17, a weight 1b continuously urging the stack toward the lower, discharge end of the trough. Movement of the folded containers one by one from the supply trough 16 into channel 12 is effected by means of a reciprocating pusher plate 22 which is moved to cooperate with the other container-forwarding elements of the machine by any suitable means, as by a rod eccentrically connected to a rotating wheel (not shown). A guiding strip 23 or the like positioned opposite the inner wall of the channel 12 adjacent the trough 16 'serves to hold the folded containers in erect Vertical position as they are first delivered into channel 12.

The containers are engaged, after they have been forwarded by the pusher plate 22 clear of the trough 16, by two sets of pusher elements or forwarding arms 24 which are carried on vertically spaced-apart endless chains mounted on sprockets 26 suitably driven by any convenient means (not shown). The lforwarding arms 24 have downwardly-directed fianges awhich engage in the channels defined by the angle iron Vstrips 15 forming the inner wall of the channel 12. Adjacent the supply trough 16 and downstream thereof is a star wheel 27 having arms 28 which project into channel 12 and are adapted to be engaged by the leading edge of the container being fed to the machine as it is introduced into channel 12. The container is erected and moved along the channel 12 by the action of the two sets of forwarding arms 24 cooperating with the star Wheel 27. When the arms24 engage the trailing edge of the container 17, they push it against the adjacent arm 23 of the star wheel 27 and by so doing cause the container to open up and to erect itself into its normal parallelepipedal form. The start wheel 27 is rotatable but is slightly braked so that force must be continuously applied to it to cause it to rotate. As a result of the resistance of the star wheel, the container is opened as the star wheel rotates to carry its arm out of the path of the `container and to place another arm in the path of the next container to be fed. Suitable means, known per se and not shown, apply glue to one of the bottom flaps of the container and, by the action of cooperating fingers and guides, fold the liaps inwardly to close the bottom of the container.

After the arms of ther star wheel have moved to clear the path of the container and the bottom of the container has been closed, the container is moved along the channel 12 solely by the action of the forwarding arms 24 which engage its trailing side. It is this movement of the container along a rectilinear path during the filling operation that has presented the problem of preventing collapse of the container. Even though the bottom flaps have been folded in, the container still has a strong tendency to collapse, i. e. to return to the folded condition in which it was fed. ln accordance with the invention, however, collapsing of the container is effectively prevented -by the provision of the resilient covering 3i) 0n the outer channel wall 14. The inner channel Wall, being formed from angle strips 15, permits entry of the pusher arms 24 into the channel 12 but the outer channel wall 14 is, as mentioned, advantageously substantially continuous, except where slotted to permit passage of the star wheel 27, in order to provide a firm backing for the resilient covering 30, which is secured, as by an adhesive, to the wall 14.

The covering 30 comprises a backing strip 31 formed from what may be conveniently referred to as reticulated rubber, viz. sponge rubber or foam rubber, preferably the latter, and overlying the backing strip 3i, and secured thereto, is a web 33 carrying a series of uniformly-spaced rubber projections or fingers 3S which extend into lthe channel 12 at right angles to its walls. The term rubber is intended to include natural rubber, so-called synthetic rubbers, and other elastomeric compositions having like properties and characteristics. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the backing strip 3i is substantially equal to the thickness of web 33 and the length of fingers 35 combined, as shown in Fig. 3. Particularly effective results are obtained when the ngers 35 have a length of Ms" to is". A specific illustrative embodiment of the resilient covering 30 comprises a backing strip 31 of foam rubber or sponge rubber having a thickness of fl/rg overlain by a web 33 of sheet rubber of 1,36" thickness which has projecting from its surface a plurality of integral, solid rubber tingers 35 having a length of EQ2. Each finger 35 is 52 in diameter at its base and tapers to a diameter of approximately V16 in this specific embodiment, with the lingers being approximately 5/16" apart from center to center.

As the containers move along the channel 12 under the impellingforce of the forwarding arms 24, they CII are continuously engaged by the fingers 35 and resiliently pressed toward the other side of the channel. This pressing action drives the containers against the forwarding arms 24 and maintains them fully erect and open so that the filling of the containers, whether by hand or by machine, can be easily and efficiently carried out. Moreover, this action of the fingers takes place whether the containers are of the exact nominal size or whether they are oversize or undersize. These variations in the size of the containers are compensated for by the resiliency of the covering 30, particularly the backing strip 31 of reticulated rubber. The outer wall 14 is mounted, as by a bolt and slot arrangement indicated at 37, to be moved toward and away from the inner wall to adjust the space between the walls, depending upon the nominal size of the container to be fed to the machine. Once this setting is made, all containers of a given nominal size fed through the channel 12 `will be erect and fully open and every tendency of the com tainers to collapse is effectively nullified. After the containers have been filled While moving along the channel 12 they are pushed onto a receiving platform or the like 38 for removal for packing and shipment and the arms 24 return to the charging end of the machine to repeat the cycle of operation.

It will be understood that the embodiment above described and shown in the` drawings is merely illustrative of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made in this embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the resilient side wall covering 30 may overlie a major portion of the side wall of the channel, as shown, or it may overlie it to a greater or lesser extent. The covering should, however, have a height sutiicient to cover a major portion of the side wall of the container, preferably the central portion of the container side wall. Also, the feed trough may be provided with an endless belt along its bottom synchronized with the other moving parts of the machine to facilitate charging of the containers into the channel 12. It is intended, therefore, that all matter contained in the foregoing description and in the drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. In a packaging machine adapted to handle containers of the folding box type normally tending to collapse, said machine having spaced apart walls defining an elongated delivery channel for passage of the c0l1- tainers being handled during the filling operation, pusher means for urging each container longitudinally of the channel, and a resilient covering disposed upon one wall of said channel, said resilient covering comprising a backing strip formed from reticulated rubber and a. web overlying said backing strip, said web carrying 4a plurality of fingers with the fingers projecting into said channel, said fingers being longitudinally resilient and laterally flexible.

2. In a packaging machine adapted to handle containers of the folding box type normally tendingtto collapse, said machine having spaced apart walls defining a delivery channel for passage of the containers being handled during the filling operation, pusher means extending into the channel from one wall of the channel for urging each container longitudinally of the channel, and a resilient covering disposed upon the other wall of said channel, said covering comprising a resilient backing strip and a plurality of longitudinally resilient and laterally flexible fingers projecting into said channel, said backing strip imparting longitudinal resiliency to` said fingers.

3. In a packaging machine adapted to handlecontainers of the folding box type normallyA tending to collapse, said machine having spaced apart wall defining an elongated rectilinear delivery channel for passage of `tilt:

containers being handled during the filling operation, pusher means for urging each container longitudinally of the channel, and a resilient covering disposed upon one wall of said channel, said resilient covering comprising a backing strip formed from reticulated rubber and a web overlying said backing strip, said web carrying a plurality of lingers with the lingers projecting into said channel, said lingers being longitudinally resilient and laterally flexible and the thickness of the backing strip being substantially equal to the thickness of the web plus the length of a linger.

4. In a packaging machine adapted to handle containers of the folding box type normally tending to collapse, spaced-apart walls delining a long but relatively narrow delivery channel for passage of the containers being handled during the filling operation, pusher arms movable longitudinally of the channel for continuously urging each container from one end of the channel to the other, and a resilient covering disposed upon one of said walls, said resilient covering having on its outer surface a plurality of liexible lingers projecting into said channel and including a backing strip of reticulated rubber behind said lingers, said lingers being longitudinally resilient and laterally flexible.

5. A resilient covering adapted to be disposed upon a Wall of the delivery channel of a packaging machine to engage the containers being continuously moved longitudinally of said channel, comprising a backing strip formed from reticulated rubber and a web overlying said backing strip, said web carrying a plurality of lingers with said fingers on the side of said covering to face inwardly of said channel, said fingers being longitudinally resilient and laterally flexible.

6. A resilient covering adapted to be disposed upon a wall of the delivery channel of a packaging machine to engage the containers being continuously moved longitudinally of said channel, comprising a backing strip formed from reticulated rubber securable to the channel Wall, and a web overlying said backing strip, said web carrying a plurality of longitudinally resilient and laterally flexible lingers, the thickness of said backing strip being substantially equal to the thickness of the Web plus the length of a linger.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

